i8 
THE'.NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
Ctmong (Broiucrs anb Dealers. 
William Smith, of Geneva, has been visiting prominent 
western nursery firms. 
The Cleveland Nursery Company, of Rio Vista, Va., is 
propagating too varieties of strawberries. 
J. W. Smith and Ira'E. Van Duzer, Winona, Ont., have 
dissolved partnership. Each continues the business alone. 
W. P. Stark and Mr. Gatewood of the Stark Brothers 
Nurseries, Louisiana, Mo., passed a portion of the winter in 
the South. 
The Puyallup-Yakima Washington Nursery has about 
30 acres in trees, with a total of 170,000 grafted trees, be¬ 
sides small fruits. The sales reported last year amounts to 
about $100,000. 
Charles S. Simpson, of Central Wa.shington Nursery, at 
North Yakima, Washington, had 11 acres in trees and sold 
in the state last year 60,000 trees. He has a stock of 88,- 
000 grafted trees and about 55,000 seedlings. 
J. E. Medill, of the Plxcelsior Nursery, North Yakima 
Washington, has about 70,000 fine young trees ready for 
orchardists this season. His ground covers about 10 acres, 
and last year his sales were about 15,000 trees. 
H. A. Jewett, of White Salmon, Washington, reports 
40 acres in grafted trees, with about 120,000 grafted stock. 
Sales last year reached 100,000 trees. He strongly urges 
that a nurseryman’s association be organized at once. 
William C. Barry, of the firm of Pdlwanger & Barry, 
favors the establishment of an experiment station for horti¬ 
cultural research in Western New York. A bill for such 
a station has been introduced in the legislature, appropriating 
$24,000 for a state horticultural department. 
The C. W. Reed Nursery Company, of Sacramento, 
Cal., has been incorporated with a capital stock of $300,000. 
The directors are C. W. Reed and M. D. Reed, of Wash¬ 
ington, Yolo County; S. R. Johnson, of San Jose, and W. 
M. Jenks and W. F. Barnes, of Sacramento. 
The firm of Arthur Bryant & Sons, of Princeton, Ill., 
consisting of Arthur Bryant, H. G. Bryant and Guy A. 
Bryant has been dissolved by mutual consent. The busi¬ 
ness will be continued by Arthur Bryant and Guy A. Bry¬ 
ant under the firm name of Arthur Bryant & Son. H. G. 
Bryant has entered into partnership with B. PC Fields under 
the firm name of Fields & Bryant. They have purchased 
the Eureka Nurseries of Fremont, Nebraska, and intend to 
do business at that point. 
Regarding the statement of the Ricker National Nur- 
seiy Company, of Elgin, Ill., R. M. Ireland, assignee of 
the E. H. Ricker Company, of Elgin, says ; 
A circular and a catalogue have been issued by certain parties 
calling themselves “The Ricker National Nursery Co.,” in which 
the statement is made that they have purchased the Elgin Nur¬ 
series, and which contain a cut or representation of the nurseries 
now in our hands. The only nurseries located in the city of Elgin 
are those in the hands of the assignee of the E. H. Ricker Co. 
The so-called “Ricker National Nursery Co.” have not purchased 
these nurseries and have no nurseries here at all. These circu¬ 
lars and catalogue referred to are, in this respect, entirely fraudu¬ 
lent. 
President E. F. Stephens, of the Ricker National Nur¬ 
sery Company makes this explanation : 
I have known Mr. E. H. Ricker some eight or ten years. He 
started in a poor hoy at the age of ten, and by hard work and good 
management he built up a good business. At the time that finan¬ 
ces were so close last summer around Chicago, some Chicago 
parties for whom he had planted freely were unable to pay their 
notes. These notes had been discounted at his bank at Elgin. He 
had also borrowed some money at the hank. At a time when banks 
were also reaching for cover, the hank threatened to issue on 
judgment notes, which is the kind they use in Illinois, unless paid 
in three days. Mr. Ricker was unwisely stampeded thereby to 
make an assignment to an attorney whom he supposed to be his 
friend. This attorney invoiced the property at a low rate, at 
about $55,000; the total indebtedness at about $12,000. Quite a 
number of the creditors said to Mr. Ricker that they would take 
stock in a new company, if he would form one, to the amount of 
their claims. I think $8,000 of the $12,000 has been so placed. If 
the new company raises about $4,000, which they very quickly ex¬ 
pect to do, the new company would pay off the debts of the old 
company and would acquire its property, valued at about $55,000, 
and tlie business would then he conducted under the style of the 
Ricker National Nursery Company. It is the understanding and 
the expectation that all this will be accomplished befoi’e the open¬ 
ing of the spring business and that the Ricker National Nursery 
Company will acquire the property of the old company and that 
Mr. Ireland, the assignee, will be out of the nursery business. 
E. H. Ricker vsaid : “A petition will be filed within a few 
days by a large number of the creditors, asking the removal 
of the assignee.” The Evei'green Grozver says in reply to a 
correspondent’s inquiry : “ The Ricker National Nursery 
Co. is solid ; has a capital stock of $50,000 and no credi¬ 
tors ; has made no assignment and will never have to. The 
Ricker National Nursery Co. hold claims against the E. H. 
Ricker Co. of over $8,000, and will no doubt purchase the 
entire plant when offered for sale. The article you saw un¬ 
der the heading, “ Beware of Fraud,” is an attempt to in¬ 
jure the Ricker National Nursery Co., by R. M. Ireland, 
who was a director and a controller of seventy-four per cent, 
of the $10,000 capital stock of the E. H. Ricker Co. The 
Ricker National Nurseiy Co. will fill orders at five per cent, 
less than any other firm or person in America.” 
WASHINGTON PROSPECTS. 
Right here in the State of Washington exist all possibly 
natural conditions for a great diversity of fruit growing. 
An increased acreage to the amount 50,000 acres planted 
with fruit trees and properly cared for when in bearing will 
be worth over $15,000,000 annually to this state. Of the 
staple fruits we should plant soon as possible at least 
10,000 acres cherries, to,ooo acres winter apples, io,000 
acres prunes and proportionate amounts of all other varie¬ 
ties. We shall then attract through markets and ship by 
train loads .—Northivest Horticulturist. 
